PREFACE

This issue of the journal disseminates research results on several topics of the social sciences. However, despite addressing a variety of problems, there are some similarities, as is always the case with this field of study.

In the first section, Controversia,, we present two articles that take up issues on the construction of identity in Latin America in relation to the emergence of specific representations that attempt to delimitate and characterize. Víctor Hugo Ramos reflects on what could be understood as "Latin American identity through the historical development of the region, from its colonial origins to its insertion in the globalization process. Patricia Cerón, on the other hand, focuses on the representations of the American population made by school textbooks published in Colombia in the last third of the twentieth century. This particular view shows another mechanism for defining identity through the establishment of the dichotomy between "us" and "them", which ends up essentializing the differences that have been historically imposed by way of a racist discourse. The last part of this article can be read alongside the one from Ramos on the particularity of Latin America.

In the Horizontes section we have two pieces that rely on the analysis of human rights and citizenship. María del Carmen Castrillón problematizes the relationship between public assistance and legislation on the protection of the rights of children and adolescents. Through an analysis of the impact of Law 1098/2006 - The Code on Children and Adolescents - she makes a comprehensive reflection on the ambiguities of the legal field when there is some attachment to traditional forms of intervention, i.e., the tense connection between law and society. Luis Adolfo Martínez, in turn, takes stock of the impact of Development Plans made between 1997 and 2007 in the Department of Risaralda, Colombia. When the conditions of internal conflict in the country are considered, such proposals delve into the violation of human rights.

Most articles in this issue are in the section Espacio abierto. Consuelo Uribe makes an assessment of the development of interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity in North America, Europe and Colombia, identifying their historical progress and the current obstacles that hinder their development. This discussion gains importance because of its implications for knowledge production, which depends, in a particular way, on Universities and Research Centers or Institutes.

Andres Salazar investigates a series of dissident practices from youth subjectivities that aim to subvert "regimes of truth", in a framework provided by Foucault's discussions of biopolitics. Starting from "the care of the self, young people who can belong to various groups provide critiques of contemporary society and create spaces of resistance in the level of "micropolitics". Mauricio Beltrán presents the results of a survey that shows changes in Colombian society regarding the religious sphere, especially in the correspondence between religious pluralization and what the author calls "social pluralism". The article presents "paradoxical" conclusions on the advance of secularization and the high affiliation to religious groups.

Finally, Martín Civitaresi examines the consequences of internationally competitive soybean production on the concentration of wealth and the environmental impacts in the province of Cordoba, Argentina. These changes yield discouraging results when the medium and long term of the productive and social structure are considered, an area that the author leaves open for future research.

As always, we hope that the documents presented here will serve as input to further research and to the advancement of knowledge in specific areas. The dissemination of research results not only nurtures academic discussions, but also works as a realistic solution mechanism for the problems of contemporary society.

Janneth Aldana Cedeño

Editor